The £1bn error Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made at Man United
Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been told he could have saved £1billion during his tenure at the club.
Ratcliffe took control at Old Trafford back in December 2023, but has faced heavy criticism during his time in charge for some of the decisions he has made.
Man United have gone through heavy cost-cutting measures under the 72-year-old, as they aim to reduce some of their seismic debt.
However, the on-pitch performance has suffered badly, with the Red Devils finishing 15th in the Premier League last season and missing out on European football entirely.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Ratcliffe could have saved £1bn if he had a suitable chief executive in place.
Jim Ratcliffe has made schoolboy errors that cost Man United
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Ratcliffe has made schoolboy errors during his time at Man United, in terms of some of the people he has appointed.
Erik Ten Hag was sacked just six months after the change in ownership, with Ruben Amorim coming in to replace him.
Wyness added that if he had been chief executive for Ratcliffe, then he could have saved the billionaire a year in development.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Ratcliffe has been getting a lot of things wrong since he arrived.
“I know that if I’d been the chief executive for him, I could have saved him £1bn and I could have saved him a year in development because he just made schoolboy errors in terms of people coming in. I’ve seen it all before in football.
“But the reality is that if he does end up sacking Amorim, after his whole executive team has made that decision, not just him, but the ones he put in place and the ones he’s trusted, if they’ve all got it wrong, then I’m afraid he at the top has to carry the can in some way.
“Now, how that manifests itself is yet to be seen, but it would be a lot of humble pie in a very public arena for Ratcliffe and for the whole football world would just be pointing at him and say, look, you’ve got it wrong. You just don’t know what you’re doing.
“So it’s a big one. That’s why Amorim’s got to get more of a chance of to stay there.”
Ratcliffe cannot sack Ruben Amorim
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed that it would cost Man United around £12m to sack Amorim, due to the compensation fee.
The Portuguese manager is under heavy pressure at Old Trafford following his side’s poor start to the season.
However, sources say United are reluctant to spend big on sacking Amorim due to profit and sustainability concerns.
As a result, the former Sporting Lisbon boss could be given longer to try and turn things around at the Theatre of Dreams.
For more Man United and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.